


The Legend of Balance

by jasmynation



Series: Forever A Legend [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Battle, Fantasy, Fate & Destiny, Gen, Magic, Multiverse, Origin Story, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Other, Spirits, Spiritual, War, balance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28378980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasmynation/pseuds/jasmynation
Summary: If each iteration of a world has various guardians, do they come from the world itself? Do they come from some place beyond what a mortal could ever know? Do they have their own story?‘The Legend of Balance’ is the story of how two guardians of emotional energy came to be, which starts with the very first world; a story of Diaz and Nycto, the guardians of positive and negative energy in our world who may take any form depending on the multiverse they guard.
Series: Forever A Legend [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078487





	The Legend of Balance

Once upon a few eons ago, the first world was born. Though most of this world was covered in water, there were two vast islands. 

One was the land of Kingdom Diaz, fruitfully thriving by the equator of their planet. As their people developed, they were lucky to have soil perfect to grow whatever they needed. All could easily live off the land with the wonderfully warm temperatures and the surplus of wild grown food. The people of this land found cooperating to be even more prosperous, as they built homes and farms to house and care for their families and friends. The establishment was a rather calm and positive society that relied on every individual doing their part, to which they would then receive all that they would need to live a comfortable and happy life. Even an artist could make a living. 

The other was the Kingdom of Nycto, whose land was not so kind. Any soil that wasn’t too cold or covered in frost or snow was barren. Any water besides the vast ocean that surrounded was frozen or toxic. Over generations of hunters and fishers the people of Nycto grew tolerant to their tough lands, some even to the funky waters; though that came at a cost, or many costs really. Food scarcity left groups of people fending for themselves, though eventually their society grew to have a first come first serve system as to avoid fighting, still, as soon as one could hold a knife, they became responsible for their own well being. The people of this land were tough, and desperate. Many believed the only good in their world were those lucky enough to be tolerant of the toxic waters and develop strong magical abilities. 

Despite these kingdoms' differences, they both believed in the spirit of the ocean who whispered cryptic words of wisdom to those worthy of it. One thing the spirit would often repeat to both kingdoms was;  
  


“One day, all of you will be responsible for the energy of everything. You will come to watch over other worlds as strong guardians.”

This of course fuelled much pride and ego into each society, believing their way of life was correct and one day they would be able to share this with others. 

The land of Nycto was more conflicted with this belief. Was how they lived really as good as it could get, or does this mean they would one day live better? For them, it set off a mission in the young to travel south in the ocean in hopes of new land.

Almost simultaneously, the land of Diaz was inspired to find these ‘new worlds’ believing them to be new land which they could share their prosperity with. 

As both set off to sea, the boats never met, but they found the land they were looking for. 

The group of Nycto people, or Nyctoins, could not believe they’d found such warm beautiful lands, they nearly had to strip naked to handle the temperature change. When greeted by a few farmers, the hunters raised their weapons, ready to fight for a better life. The Diaz farmers had no experience in fighting or weapons, let alone so much distrust and violent greetings. Regardless, they merely took steps back as if treating the travellers like scared wild animals. 

“We do not fight here.” Declared one of the farmers, who grabbed a carrot from his basket and showed it to the strangers. “Hungry?” 

Desperate, and starving, the travellers lowered their weapons, one quickly and cautiously grabbed the carrot from the farmer. He sniffed it, then gave it an odd look. 

“This isn’t meat?” It was clear they spoke different languages and so gestures followed their statement. Communication here depended on body language. 

“It’s from the ground.” The farmer gestured to the soil beneath them, which seemed to cause shock in the group of travellers who looked back at each other and talked amongst themselves.

The one with the carrot took a bit into the sweet vegetable, the fresh crunch shocking some of the others. The traveller seemed to nearly drop his weapon, as his face softened and he devoured the carrot. He turned to the others and nodded frantically as he explained the taste. The travellers made eye contact with the farmers and dropped their weapons carefully to the ground as a show of trust and gratitude. They then went on their knees, bowed their heads and raised their hands like a bowl to the farmers to ask for food. In Nycto, this was a great sign of weakness and call for pity, it gave power to the one they asked for food to and often was met with denial. The group understood that these people lived different lives though, considering they had initially offered food and showed no weapons. The farmers graciously gave the starving travellers mover vegetables, as they had plenty to share. 

Here, an alliance could grow, the farmers thought, these people were simply from a land with less food. They would gladly offer this.

Meanwhile, the Diaz travellers, or Diazites, had reached the lands of Nycto, half had gotten sick from the cold and upon reaching the land they found themselves disappointed with what they saw, and more so frightened. They had plenty to eat but found it hard to leave the shore where they’d built their fire. They would send off groups of two or three to search as far as they could, huddle together with torches and the clothes of those that stayed at the fire. The groups came back injured by animals or plants or coughing from having been exposed to a toxic spot of land. 

They were sick, scared and ready to leave just when a group of Hunter’s found them. The Hunter’s couldn’t have cared less about how or why this group of people were in the state they were in, they saw the food and took advantage of the chance of the weak foreign strangers. As the hunters shoved weapons in the groups face, demanding in a language the group could not understand, they tossed a bunch of the stuff to the scary strangers and ran back to their boat whatever they could manage. 

While the Nyctoins travel back home was a breeze with the supply gifted to them, half of the Diazites died before they could reach the shores of their home land.

The surviving Diaz travellers passed on word of the horrible land across their waters, and though they did put some blame on the hunters they had encountered, they believed the land there was cursed and to be blamed mostly for the terror they met. They mourn the death of those lost and attempt to heal the sick. Despite their efforts, none of those that travelled survived longer than a week since their return. It was decided that travelling to that land was forbidden, and precautions were to be taken if they were visited. Hearing the farmers report helped to build the rules of such precautions.

The Nycto travellers returned with pride and glory, sharing stories of gracious people living on fruitful lands with glorious bounties of food, sharing some of the supply they were given with their leaders as proof. The group of travellers evenly split their supply and then went to their homes to stash the goods. A month of planning goes by and a new group set off to see the new land. Cooperation was not their strong suit, but if there was room on this land for both them and its current inhabitants they were more than willing to mark off borders.

Of course, the language barrier and the weariness of the Diazites made this second visit a lot more challenging. As the Nyctoins grew impatient, they noted that although they were outnumbered these people had no experience in fighting and appeared rather friendly and harmless. The real conflict came as it was understood that both peoples saw it as their mission to conform the other to their lifestyle, believing they were chosen to lead the way to greatness by the spirit of the ocean. 

The Nyctoins, furious upon thinking these people would rather give them things so they’d go away than share the land they could be self-sufficient on, they charged off to form a battle plan. In fear of the strangers, one of their smartest Diazites, Seguro Appagare, consulted the spirit of the ocean who told him not to fret, he will survive to see his future children. In hope for advice, the hunters sent out their youngest warrior, Fu Horobi, who was also told she should not fret, she will live to have two beautiful children. Returning with the not so useful word of the spirit, the hunters chose to return to Nycto. Another month of planning and preparing, the Nyctoins all hopped on boats and left their land to invade Diaz. The battle ran for days, fires spread, the land damaged by the toxic residue of the Nyctoins magic, in the end it seemed only two young beings remained on the ruins of Diaz. 

Fu Horobi and Seguro Appagare dropped to the ground, tired of their fighting, tired of it all. They laid there for a time, before slowly sitting up there sore bodies to lean against each other and look out at the mess their people created. 

“Why did we do this?” Fu asked, full well knowing Seguro had no idea what she said.

“I think we’re alone.” Seguro sighed, rubbing at his arm. 

Fu turned carefully, tearing some fabric off the bottom of her pants to carefully wrap his wounds. She looked at him softly and tilted her head slightly. He returned a weak smile and nodded, cautiously giving her his other hand. She stares at it confused, then jumps slightly when he laughs-followed by a cough and a groan of pain. He puts one of his hands in the other to imitate a handshake, then opening his hand for her and pointing to one of her hands, then his open hand. His tired eyes only had hope in them, the worst that could happen is he dies with the rest of his people, what’s the harm in trying? She hesitates before coming to the same conclusion and resting her hand in his. 

The two relax, understanding the other was just as tired and done with all of this as they were.

After some rest, they searched for any survivors. No one. They were truly alone. Seguro fell to his knees in tears. Fu held her head high despite her own despair and marched on to find food and water for them. She then pushed Seguro to one of the least wrecked homes and they rested side by side in the same bed. 

He woke up alone. She had woken up early and gotten to work. Trying to move bodies into a single pile far from where they were, knowing that dead flesh wasn’t healthy to be around. He approached her cautiously, giving a small wave. She looked at him for just a moment and went back to work. 

They worked in pretty much silence, preparing graves for those they knew and cared for, the rest were added to one of two mass graves; Diaz or Nycto. The project took two weeks, Seguro made sure to focus on scavenging for food and keeping their supply good. He had to remind Fu to eat and sleep else she’d just keep pulling up bodies. 

Finally when it was finished, they lit the mass graves on fire and sat by the graves of their loved ones, used to the horrid smell of rotting flesh by this point. The sun set, the stars shone bright in the sky against the raging flames as the two sat quietly surrounded by the dead, unable to speak a word to each other. Seguro had found the remains of a guitar and begun repairing it the best he could, wondering if Fu’s people knew of music. If they knew of dancing.

He found himself staring at her for a while, the light of the fire barely catching her face. It didn’t take long for him to catch that tears were running down her cheeks as she stared out at the night sky. Any nagging prejudice about the Nyctoins was run off a cliff, this was someone hurting just as badly as he was. 

As dread and loneliness overwhelmed them, he focused what little energy he could muster on fixing the guitar up enough to play a song to honor their dead. 

Fu sat on her legs holding her head high and ignoring the tears streaming down her face. The soreness in her throat threatened to let lose any kind of cry of pain. Her hands turned red from gripping her old fur coat she now uses as a comfort blanket, stained with blood and dirt but filled with the memories of home and her people. The stars stayed in their place, continuing on as though nothing was amiss. She was ready to yell, until some loose strumming was being played behind her. 

The Nyctoin glanced back startled by the sound at first, until she could also register his humming. As rough as the noise came off to her ears, everything about him came off as gentle and kind. After taking a deep breath, she looked back to the night sky for a moment only to close her eyes, pushing more tears out and gulping. 

Nighttime was quiet now. Barely the chirp of any animal was to be heard. Just the sound of the wind in the trees and their own breath. The music, whether Fu knew what to call it or not, was a pleasant change of atmosphere.

Seguro stopped the strings abruptly with his hands, one hand strangling the neck of the guitar as he bowed over it, his whole body shaking. Everything hurt, his bones aching as the reminder of the war just days ago, the pain of knowing he may forget the songs his people played, that he could never watch his cousins dance about again…

“We’re alone…” He managed between sobs. “It… they… they’re really gone…” 

Somehow, she didn’t need to know his language to understand what was upsetting him, pulling her coat into her chest to hug it, she too broke down. Unsettled by the amount of tears she had to shed, she whipped her face with her sleeve, turned and scooted herself over to the only company she had now. She swallowed hard, took another deep breath and offered her hand to him as he once did.

“Fu Horobi.” Letting her coat sit on her lap, she pressed her other hand to her chest when he looked at her. “Fu Horobi.” 

“Fu… Horo… bi?” He slowly said, cautiously pointing to her, and she nods.

“Fu.”

“Fu…” He repeated before taking her hand to give it a soft shake, while his other hand placed the guitar better to sit on his lap without help so he could gesture to himself. “Seguro. Seguro Appagare.”

“Seguro.” She managed a weak smile to him, to which he gladly returned along with a nod.

“Guitar.” He takes his hands back and lifts the guitar to her. “Gui-tar.”

“G...G...Gu?”

“Gui.”

“Gui? Gui-tar?”

“Yes!” He nodded.

“Es?” She raised a brow at the sudden different word, leaning back a bit when he laughed.

“Yes.” He nods again. She nods in return, then reaching to run her finger down the strings as he did. “Music.”

“Mewk?”

“Muse…”

“Muse…”

“-Ic. Music.”

“Music.” She nodded. She’d return by giving him the translations but there were no words in her language that she knew of for these things. So she turned to something they would both know by lifting her coat up. “Coat.”

“C-o-a-t?” His attempt of her language also made her laugh, and in turn so did he. 

Slowly, the two learned each other’s languages, preferring to speak their own languages now that the other could understand it. 

Weeks, then months, even years go by, and despite everything, they did their best to keep going. Though the two grew to love each other, it was more the kind of love one had for a very dear friend. Being the only two civilized creatures on the island still had it’s way of occasionally pushing the two together more than usual. This is how they came to have twins. 

Seguro felt it only right that Fu choose the name of the children she gave birth to, and only briefly did the two discuss last names until the dark realization of how useless those had become. The air grew thick as the two sat down, each with a baby in their arms and tears in their eyes, they leaned on each other. These children may never know of how the world used to be, filled with so much more life and culture. 

“We will leave them one day.” Fu nearly choked on her words before glaring up at Seguro. 

“At least… they will have each other until the end.” Seguro gave her a soft smile ignoring the tears sitting in his eyes. 

Raising twins seemed to be the perfect challenge for the two to distract themselves from their grim reality, not that there weren’t nights they would cry in the other’s arms. 

Fu came to name the boy Dusk, for the morning and the promise of a new day, as the child seemed to take on more of his father’s attributes. To pair the two, Fu felt it fitting to name her daughter Dawn, for the evening and the settling of the waters, reminding herself much more of her own attributes. This was also because Dusk always woke them up at dusk and Dawn was most active at sunset. 

As the children’s first year went by, it became more clear that Seguro was unwell. Fu drew the line when he threw up the very black gunk that occasionally ran from her eyes when she used her magic, a side effect of the toxic waters from Nycto’s land that gave her these powers. They came to believe that maybe being more physically close to Fu had been giving him small doses of the toxic essence. 

Although attempts were made to distance themselves, Seguro was still ill and only getting worse. Another painful night, they accepted once again their grim fate.Fu promised she would do her best for the children. 

It took one more slow year before Seguro passed away and left Fu alone to care for their two year olds.

Determination to protect and raise Dusk and Dawn was all that brought her forward another three years. It was a cloudy night, without a star in the sky. The sounds of nature had long since returned to their area, howls and chirps about, filled with life. Fu had brought the kids to camp at the beach for the night, so she could stare out into the ocean waves and think. 

“You told us lies.” Her voice hoarse from crying, a wave ran over her bare feet. 

“I told no lies.” A soft voice spoke from the water.

“You told us we were meant to be responsible for other worlds. Was this all you meant?”

“What I spoke has yet to happen.”

“How? Soon, there will be nothing. Is there some land we missed?”

“Nycto and Diaz have shaped more than you will ever know.”

“Who are you for me to trust. My children will age and learn of how hopeless their lives are. It will be nothing but despair for them. What kind of life is that for me to give them? To let them…” She grinded her teeth and dung her hands into the sand while the dark tears streamed down her face. “I can’t. I can’t.” She stood up, eyes glowing white while streams of the toxic gunk dripped down her body, a dense amount forming long tendrils that stretched three times her height. The magical limbs fell, ready to slam down on to the children of the one controlling it.

Dusk and Dawn, both about 5 years old, awoke to the sudden splash of water over their bodies that nearly dragged them into. The two yelp, rushing to their feet and watch the large wave return to the ocean. Once the water calmed the two noticed their mother was nowhere in sight. 

“Did she go back home?” Dusk wondered, looking about at their things that were now all soaking. 

“Maybe she wants us to learn to be alone. Mom loves alone time.” Dawn pulled some of her shirt to try and squeeze the water out of it. “I don’t think beach sleeping is very fun.”

“It was fun until the ocean tried to eat us.” He starts to pick up some of their stuff, struggling to grab everything. “Come on, we should back then, I don't wanna be out here without mom at night.”

“What, are you afraid of the dark~?”

“N-no! That’d be stupid. I’m not stupid.”

“Well, I think I’ll stay, apart from being a little wet, it's still nice and warm out. Have fun in the woods alone.”

“Daaaawwwwwn!” Dusk dropped all the stuff and stomped at his sister who just laid back down on the warm, wet fur blanket they’d been sleeping on. 

“It’s night now, actually.”

“Argh,” He kicked sand at her. “You stink!”

“Hey!” She just laughed, but grabbed a handful of sand herself to throw at him. “I’m not the scaredy bug.” He huffed and flopped his body down across her stomach, causing them both the grunt. “Ow!” Dawn was still laughing at her brother though. 

“Pleeeaaassse! I’m serious Dawn…” 

“How serious?”

“Very!”

“Hm, is that, ‘I get one of your truffles tomorrow’ serious?”

“Yes, fine, yes! Please, can we just hurry back to mom?” 

“Alright, let’s go. If we’re together nothing can get us, yanno.”

“Even in the dark?”

“Especially in the dark.”

They packed their stuff up and bravely made their way home. There was a nagging feeling that something was wrong in both their guts but neither dared to speak of it. When they came home to find their mother wasn’t there either, Dawn was ready to talk.

“What if-”

“I’m sure she just went for a walk then. Ummm, I guess we should stay put, if we move around and she’s looking for us it’ll be harder.”

“... if.”

“What do you mean?” Dusk refused to understand the worry on his sister's face.

“It… was a really big wave…” 

“We woulda seen mom swimming Awny, that doesn’t make sense.” Dawn just looked at her brother with growing tears in her eyes while he spoke. “Hey, hey, don’t cry!” They both dropped their stuff and Dusk pulled Dawn into a hug. “I’m sure everything is fine, okay, mom is strong! Stronger than the ocean! Okay? We’re both just tired, and up past our bedtimes. We should chance and go back to sleep.” They pulled apart and Dawn hesitantly nodded. 

Once in fresh clothes, the two cuddled up on Dusk’s bed, thankful when exhaustion overcame them. 

They were fifteen when first confronted the ocean, not that they knew it could answer back, yelling out on a stormy night in a fit of rage. The rain poured down so hard they couldn’t tell the difference between their own tears and the rain, apart from the colour of course but it wasn’t like they were looking. Dawn began violently throwing things at it, even using the very same tendrils her mother could use to grab more things and throw more at once. Dusk dropped to his knees and began begging the ocean to return her, claiming they would do anything to apologize or make up for whatever they had done to deserve her being taken from them. 

Thunder roared across the island and a large bolt of lighting shot down right between the siblings. The two fell backwards from the shock and laid in the muddy sand while the rain poured down on them. Even Dawn’s magic just splashed to the grown and started getting washed away now that it wasn’t in use. 

The storm calmed while the sibling did. Once the rain was barely a drizzle, the ocean spoke.

“Your mother was unwell.” The twins shot up and glared at each other before looking around frantically. The voice was not just a surprise but an unexpectedly calm response to their emotional fit. “If it soothes you, her soul rests in peace at the core of the universe. Someday, when ready, she will be given a new life to cherish.”

“Like… father?” Dusk mumbles out.

“Yes. Like all those who have lost their lives here.”

“Did she… do it herself?” Dawn sniffled, both siblings were looking to the sky.

“Your mother endured much. Even the strongest have their limits.” It pauses for a moment. “I am in the ocean, none can see me, though sometimes some may hear me. You won’t find me up there.” The siblings whip their eyes and look to the ocean curiously. 

“I didn’t think those stories were real…” Dusk commented as he scooted just a bit closer to the water. 

“Why now? All these years, and we can hear you now?” Dawn pulled her legs into her chest and glared daggers into the ocean. 

“It’s time, you see. This world has been the first of many others. More than even I could truly comprehend. Its purpose was never a secret, only difficult to explain. I’m afraid you may only understand in another life.”

“You make it sound like…” Dawn started.

“A-are we gonna die?” Dusk jumped back and covered his mouth.

“Yes and no. All living creatures will die one day. And from my knowledge, most things always end. I can not see any final ending for the two of you, or myself, as our souls are meant to serve a grander purpose. When you two do pass, your souls will be copied and scattered to many other worlds and times.”

“That’s… a lot of talk coming from the ocean…” She scoffed and hugged her legs.

“I… I’m sorry this... just..” He held his head in his hand.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter if you know or what you understand now. Your lives here have all led up to one thing. This is just how it is. When your lives end here, you will be able to understand beyond this world could ever offer.”

While the two sit in silent confusion and frustration, the rain picks back up. It begins to pour even harder than before, running the twins back indoors. It seemed though, the storm refused to let them go. The rain was filling up every hole and flowing over, tearing through any material it could, and that was before the wind picked up. Trees were being torn up from their roots, anything loose enough flew across the island into the ocean, every house was being torn to bits by wind, rain and debris. Even curled up under their room, bundled up in blankets under their beds crying, they weren’t safe.

This was the end of the first world.

Then, there was a vast, seemingly endless land with nothing but sand and puddles, and a single leafless grey tree, presumably the ‘center’. At the base of this tree, slept Dawn and Dusk, huddled together. When they awoke, they separated, a groggy atmosphere about them as they looked around. 

“Is this the end?” Dawn asked as she felt her body fading away, her soul floating out in front of her face. 

“I think it’s the beginning.” Dusk sofly claimed as his body and soul did the same as his sister.

“We’ll still be together though right?” 

“I’m sure that’s the point.”

Their bodies faded away, while their souls were absorbed by the tree. The tree glowed at the sudden new magic, and shot the magic through its routes that spread all through the vast land under each puddle which glowed for the moment the magic passed through it. Black and white leaves quickly grew from the barren tree until it seemed full of life. 

Life went on through each puddle filled with worlds; each with countless alternatives and timelines, now capable of producing two guardians who could help maintain balance in each world’s energy. Possible only because the first world made the sacrifice necessary to produce souls as pure and opposite, yet bonded, as that of Dawn and Dusk. Or perhaps, more importantly, because Fu and Seguro laid down their weapons to live their last years in peace with company.

**Author's Note:**

> I made this story for a lot of reasons, I love making characters who live outside of one ‘reality’ of sorts. This is far from the first story about characters like this I’ve ever made, it is just the first story I feel is ready to be shared. 
> 
> Dusk and Dawn may be used by anyone as long as I am credited properly. When the two die, it is their souls that are copied and spread to each multiverse or just single worlds or universes- in this way there are unlimited possibilities for who the two may become, where they may end up and how they may grow. 
> 
> Variations of them will be in most of my original and fandom work, even if it is not necessarily made clear they are there as they will have different names and may not remember their past life. I encourage anyone who wishes to use them as such for their worlds as well, be it symbols of balance and peace or chaos and destruction. Maybe a bit of both. Have fun with them as I will! 
> 
> I also tried to leave it to your imagination what everyone looked like as their appearance in the first world has little to no affect on story or future versions of them.


End file.
